Composite materials are used in various applications that require integrity of mechanical properties, including radomes, aircrafts, high speed airframe components and missiles. Conventional composite materials, however, are limited in their impact resistant properties.
Prior attempts to increase mechanical properties such as tensile strength have included implementation of nanoparticles as reinforcement materials into composite materials. In order to benefit from the mechanical properties of the reinforcement materials, however, substantially even dispersion of the reinforcement materials in the composite material, as well as integrity of the mechanical properties of the reinforcement materials are required.
Current methods of incorporating nanoparticles in matrix material fail to meet these requirements. For example, extrusion, a method involving mixing of nanoparticles with composite material, causes nanoparticles, especially nanotubes, to break. Another example is the method of functionalization, where additional structures, such as fluoride atoms, are attached to the nanoparticles prior to mixing. The additional structures, however, have demonstrated inferior mechanical properties as compared to nanoparticles without such structures. Additionally, these methods fail to prevent nanoparticles from clumping and/or clustering rather than evenly dispersing in resulting composite materials.